Hogwarts: The Next Generation
by bloodmuffins
Summary: Harry and his friends have long since left Hogwarts. But the next generation is just starting out. What sorts of mischief will they get into? Walk through Albus Potter's life at Hogwarts.
1. To Hogwarts!

**(I do not own Harry Potter or the characters.)**

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Albus watched as his father slipped from sight as the Hogwarts Express rounded the bend, sending him off to the unknown. He slumped into the cushions of his compartment's seat, clearly unhappy. His father had said not to worry about being in Slytherin, that Albus Severus himself was named after a brave Slytherin man. _Was that even possible?_ Albus thought to himself glumly.

The compartment door slid open, revealing James. The older boy glanced down at his brother alone in the compartment and sat with him, shutting the door behind him.

"What's wrong with you?" James asked cheerfully.

The younger boy glared up at his brother for a split second before returning his gaze to the passing scenary. He refused to deal with his brother's taunting on top of all his worrying thoughts.

"Aw, don't be like that," James continued in the same joyful tone, "What's bugging you?"

Albus sighed, easily defeated.

"You really wanna know?" he asked James, as if testing the older boy's sincerity to care.

James saw the seriousness in Albus's emerald eyes, heard the edge in his little brother's voice.

"Yeah, I do," came James's reply, for even he could stop teasing the boy if needed.

Albus sighed again. He straightened himself up in his seat, still unsure whether he should confide in his brother or not. It seemed to be a risky move, what with the way James was constantly teasing him.

"I'm worried about being in Slytherin, that's all," Albus mumbled almost untillegibly, though the other boy heard.

"You're not really worried about that, are you?"

"Yes, actually I am," Albus responded testily. He knew he shouldn't have told his brother about this, and now he was going to pay the price.

Albus was, however, taken by surprise.

James switched to the other side of the compartment so he was sitting next to Albus, and he put a comforting arm around his little brother's slight body. He hugged the boy warmly, causing Albus to be unsure whether to smile or scream.

"Why aren't you teasing me?" the small boy asked suspiciously.

James chuckled.

"I don't _always_ have to be teasing you, little brother," was his cheery response. "Besides, didn't Dad tell you to stop worrying just before you boarded the train?"

Albus blushed unnoticably. He felt uncomfortable getting special help from his father, regardless of how happy he'd been at being told something none of his other siblings had known.

"Yeah…." Albus's voice trailed off.

"Well, then what did he say?"

"He said that if I was that worried about it…" he wondered if he should tell James exactly what he had been told by his father, and, still feeling special with his secret knowledge, decided to modify it a bit. "Dad said the sorting might take my opinion into account. He said it would let me pick Gryffindor over Slytherin."

James released his grip on his brother and looked at the boy incredulously. His hazel eyes were wide and his brow was furrowed slightly.

"But….that's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard!" James exclaimed rather loudly and equally unbelievingly.

Albus was near tears again. He knew he shouldn't have mentioned any of his worries and fears to James. He always made everything worse. Inwardly cursing himself, Albus retaliated, "Nuh-uh! Dad said! I can pick Gryffindor!"

The older boy shook his head solemnly, his dark hair swaying with the motion.

"Albus, think about it. If you could choose Houses over each other, what would be the point in there being a Sorting at all? It would defeat the purpose of it all."

Albus contemplated this for a few minutes, face screwed up in concentration. On one hand, his father, whom he trusted more than anyone in the world, had said he would be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. His father had also had a good reason to believe this: it had worked for him when he had attended Hogwarts.

On the other hand, Albus still knew very little about the actual Sorting and House-choosing done at the school, leaving him with little background knowledge. James said it would defeat the purpose of the Sorting, and that seemed to make sense. What would be the point in getting Sorted if you could influence the Sorting Hat like that?

No matter how Albus looked at it, it didn't seem that he would be able to choose his House after all. Perhaps his father had just said all that choosing nonsense to ease Albus's fears? Did he want Albus lured into a false sense of security before the horrific Sorting event? Albus didn't understand why his father had so obviously lied to him, and the thought saddened him more than getting Sorted into Slytherin ever could.

As if to confirm his thoughts, James spoke up, "Dad must have been trying to calm you down, but I'm sure he never meant to intentionally lie to you. Maybe you misinterpreted what he said."

Albus remained silent, intent to not give his brother the satisfaction he was looking for. Emerald eyes returned to staring hopelessly out the window, and eventually James sighed somewhat angrily and left the compartment.

"Anything off the trolly, dear?" a plump lady called as she slid open the compartment door. She was pushing along a large trolly carrying every sort of sweet Albus could imagine. There were Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and Licorice Wands. There were Chocolate Frogs and Cauldon Cakes. Chocolate Galleons. Strange Colored Lollipops. Everything Albus could have ever dreamed to eat was all sitting nicely on one cart.

"How much for Chocolate Frogs?" he asked the lady shyly.

The woman smiled warmly back, replying, "A knut a frog." She debated for a moment, then decided to read off all the prices, "A sickle for a large box of Every Flavor Beans, five knuts for a pack of three Licorice Wands, a knut for a bag of Chocolate Galleons, a sickle per Cauldron Cake, and a sickle per Lollipop. So, what would you like?" Her warm smile never faultered, and it remained kind and true.

"I'll have two Chocolate Frogs and a pack of Licorice Wands, please," Albus said bashfully, withdrawing seven knuts to give the trolly lady.

The lady in turn gave Albus his sweets and proceeded to the next compartment calling "Anything off the trolly, dears?"

Albus smiled merrily at his purchases, finally happy to be going to Hogwarts.

The train reached Hogwarts much more quickly than Albus had expected. He hadn't finished his sweets yet and he hadn't changed into his school robes. As the scarlet train let out a whistle and the compartment jerked as the brakes were applied, Albus felt sick to his stomach. He closed the compartment door hurriedly and grabbed his robes. Stuffing the last of his snacks into his mouth, Albus changed his clothes quickly, just getting off the train in time.

The boat ride to the castle was, ironically and for lack of a better word, magical. The starlight glittered mysteriously off the stone of the castle and the moonlight shimmered eerily off the clear lake. Lights shined out of a large part of the castle, which Albus would soon learn was the Great Hall.

Looking down, Albus saw muck and dark green plants twisting and writhing under the black water's glimmering surface. A tree in the distance on the bank of the lake was swaying peacefully in the cool night's breeze. Farther back the Whomping Willow Albus's father had told him so much about was standing still, a creepy sight at night when the wind should have been blowing about the branches.

Just as Albus had taken everything in, the boat ride ended. The boat halted at the edge of a bank and Hagrid, a large man and the school's gamekeeper, called for all the first years to exit their boats and climb up toward the castle behind him.

The first years were all muttering anxiously to one another, not really paying any attention to what anyone was saying or noticing if they were even being heard. Albus caught the word "Sorting Hat" being mentioned by a girl nearby, and he remembered what lay just ahead. His stomach began to feel nautious just as these troubling thoughts entered his mind. He himself wasn't exactly sure why he was this frightened of the Sorting, but with the way the other first years were talking, it didn't seem he was overreacting too much.

After the walk up to the castle, the students were brought inside and lined up in the Entrance Hall. There an extremely elderly woman wearing dark robes and witch's hat was waiting to greet the first years. Perhaps it was her age, but she seemed to be glaring sternly at everyone. This expression made Albus feel even more uncomfortable about all the tasks at hand.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," the woman greeted, "I am Professor McGonagall, Headmistress here at Hogwarts. In a few minutes you will pass through these doors and be Sorted into your Houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. Any questions?"

Rose, Albus's long-life friend and practically sister, asked, "Why is the Headmistress greeting us? My parents said it would be a teacher."

As Rose asked this, Albus faintly recalled his father telling him that the Head of Gryffindor had met the first years when he first came to Hogwarts. Albus suddenly remembered the name of that Head of House and blurted out without thinking, "But if you're Headmistress now then who's Head of Gryffindor?"

Everyone looked at Albus, who seemed to shrink about three sizes under the unwanted attention.

"I have been Headmistress for many years, Mr. Potter. Professor Longbottom has been Head of Gryffindor for a few years now, and I can assure he has done a splendid job. Miss Weasley, the Headmaster or Headmistress addressing the first years is a fairly new tradition and shouldn't concern you."

Muttering had picked up when Professor McGonagall had announced the current Head of Gryffindor, and a girl asked, "You don't mean Neville Longbottom, do you? The famous Auror that had to quit a few years ago because of his injury after fighting that one Dark wizard?"

"Yes, I do mean him, Miss Lovegood. Now, enough questions. Follow me and you can all get sorted."

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Thanks for reading! What do you think? I'm only going to continue if I get lots of positive reviews, so please send 'em in, and if you don't like it tell me that too. Thanks again! -Bloodmuffins


	2. Sorting!

**(I do not own Harry Potter or the characters or anything.)**

**Thanks for reading and please keep the reviews coming. They really help inspire my writing, so they're much appreciated!  
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Albus wasn't listening to the names being called. His stomach hurt so much he thought he might collapse. On top of that he was nautious like he'd never been before. It was horrible. He was certain his face was some awkward shade of green, so he kept his head bowed uncomfortably and his arms wrapped around his stomach in some failing attempt to ease its aches.

"Albus, you were just called!"

Albus looked up, startled. It seemed every person in the Hall was staring at him. Correction, every person _was_ staring at him, it didn't just seem that way. In front of him, his redheaded friend Rose was staring at him in astonishment. She was the one that snapped him out of his day-nightmare of discomfort.

"Albus Potter!" Professor McGonagall called again, sternly glaring down at the boy.

Ebarrassed and beyond nervous, Albus slowly marched up the steps and took a seat on the wobbly stool that really needed to be replaced. Before he knew it, an enormous hat was placed on his small head, going down so low it covered his eyes, blocking his vision with a shield of foul-smelling cloth.

"Mmm, a Potter," the Sorting Hat whispered in Albus's ear, "Just as your father, you seem to have a bit of everything. Smart, I see. A definite desire to prove yourself to friends and family. How far would you go, I wonder, to achieve that goal?"

Albus practically shrieked when the Sorting Hat made that comment. He knew what the Hat was getting at; he was implying that Slytherin may be a good choice.

Upon the first year's reaction, the Sorting Hat chuckled softly saying, "Like father like son, I suppose. I wonder how you'd do in Ravenclaw, then…." The Sorting Hat's voice trailed off.

Albus hadn't even considered anything but Gryffindor or Slytherin, so hearing the Sorting Hat mention Ravenclaw totally threw him off. _Ravenclaw?_ He thought to himself. _Is that really the House for me? I don't think I'm smart enough for Ravenclaw…._ Like the Sorting Hat's voice, Albus's thoughts trailed off until there was a brief period of silence in his head.

All silences must end, however, and the Sorting Hat finally said, "Or perhaps Gryffindor. Your father and brother have done fine in it, and you seem quite a bit like them…." Again the Hat's voice trailed off into nothing.

_I am not like James, _Albus thought, _but I do want to be in Gryffindor. Please put me there! _He hoped his thoughts would get through to the Sorting Hat and that the Hat would take them into consideration.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Sorting Hat yelled for the entire Great Hall to hear.

Happily shocked, Albus stumbled down the steps to the House table like a drunk man, not much paying attention to anything that was happening. He faintly heard his brother laughing at his reaction and other first years joining the table.

Finally Professor McGonagall called for silence and announced to the entire Hall, "Now that we have all been Sorted, I would just like to remind you all that the Forrest on the outskirts of the grounds is strictly forbidden to all students. With that said, let the feast please begin!"

As soon as the last syllable of the Headmistress's speech had been uttered, food filled the House tables. There was so much of it that there seemed to be no room for anything else. There were all sorts of meats; chicken, ribs, pork, beef, steak, and lamb. There were potatoes, cooked every way possible; baked, mashed, and boiled. Corn and green beans lined the tables, carrots and mushrooms along with them. As if all that wasn't enough, there were also all sorts of berries including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cherries joined with grapes as well.

Albus's mouth was watering to the point of drooling as he loaded up his plate with a bit of everything, focusing mostly on the chicken and ribs. It tasted so delicious, it nearly melted Albus's tongue. He might have mistaken the feast for a meal in Heaven, had it not been for the obnoxious students surrounding him. When he was too full to stuff anymore food in him, Albus was surprised to see the food vanish and be instantly replaced with desserts of all sorts; puddings, cakes, ice creams, crepes, cupcakes, and even cookies of all shapes, sizes, and colors now adorned the tables.

Not being able to resist, Albus filled his plate once again, this time focusing his attention on the cake and pudding and filling himself to the point of explosion. It tasted so good, however, even better than the dinner food, that he did not mind much.

It was then that the sudden impulse to make comments about the food hit him, that Albus realized that someone seemed to be missing. Looking up and down the Gryffindor table, he couldn't locate Rose. At first he thought he just missed her, so he looked again. And again. And again. When he still couldn't find his friend, Albus looked about at the other tables and saw Rose chatting happily to some other first years at the Ravenclaw table.

Albus was instantly saddened. Rose had always been his best friend, and he couldn't believe that she'd been Sorted into a different House than him. It was very difficult for him to comprehend and hadn't fully sunken in yet.

Looking around, Albus realized he didn't really know anyone else at the table besides his brother, James. He suddenly cursed himself for not accepting the Sorting Hat's suggestion to put him in Ravenclaw. At least he'd have been with Rose that way. To face facts, Albus wasn't a social butterfly and he now feared that he would never make any friends.

It was as Albus was mulling over these less-than-cheerfull thoughts that he noticed someone on the far side of the room. He was fairly small, about Albus's size, and had a pale and fairly pointed face. His blonde hair was pretty long but shaggy. The boy was sitting in the corner of the table not talking to anyone or eating. He was incredibly thin, making Albus wonder if he ate properly.

The girl next to the boy, a second year, noticed Albus staring and told the boy. The pale boy looked up and glared at Albus. The girl, satisfied with the pale boy's reaction, smirked and glared a bit herself before returning to her dessert.

Albus wasn't sure why, but the reactions of the boy and girl bugged him. The boy looked very frail and incredibly lonely. Feeling quite lonely himself, Albus thought maybe they could be friends. Apparently not, though, with the way he had glared at him.

Not being able to clear his head of these thoughts, Albus quickly ran his eye over the rest of the table and realized with a jolt that it was the Slytherin table. He suddenly realized that he'd seen the boy before, on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. He had been with his mother and father, and Ron Weasley had told Rose to beat him in every test. That was the Malfoy's son, Scorpius.

The fact that Scorpius was in Slytherin at all should have turned off all friendly thoughts Albus was having, but he still felt bad for the boy sitting there all small and helpless looking. He continued to feel the urge to befriend the pale boy, regardless of his being in Slytherin and him being Albus's father's enemy's son.

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Please review! As you may be guessing by now, this story is probably (most likely) going to contain fluff at the very least between Albus and Scorpius. If you're not going to like that, I guess you should stop reading now. If you'll be okay with it, then continue on. Also, I'm going to try my best to not have their crushings on each other dominate the story. Reviews always help my writing process, so please send them in, especially since I'm kind of unsure what to have happen next. Thanks so much! -Bloodmuffins


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